A drama created by S4C could become an international hit according to critics after being sold to the TV broadcaster behind Scandinavian successes The Killing and Borgen.

A drama created by S4C could become an international hit according to critics after being sold to the TV broadcaster behind Scandinavian successes The Killing and Borgen.

Public broadcaster DR Denmark picked up Hinterland after being seduced by the “mountainous backdrop of Aberystwyth,” where the series is currently being filmed.

The Danish company believe the “suspenseful noir atmosphere” of the crime thriller resonates with their own award-winning shows, which have become cult viewing in Britain, the US and beyond.

The series, which stars Richard Harrington in the lead role of DCI Tom Mathias is being shot in both Welsh and English and will be shown on S4C and the BBC next year.

Film and TV Critic Gary Slaymaker believes there is no reason why Hinterland cannot become a huge success.

“It’s not the first time this sort of collaboration has happened,” he said.

“S4C and the BBC worked together on a series called A Mind to a Kill in the early 1990s, which starred Philip Madoc as the leading detective.

“That series was called Heliwr in Welsh and was filmed all over Wales, including Aberystwyth in fact.

“That series attracted international audiences and now, with the popularity of Scandinavian drama, and the fact that audiences are more interested in a good story than being bothered by subtitles or unfamiliar backgrounds I can see Hinterland being a hit.”

Most of the filming for Hinterland, or its Welsh language title Mathias is taking place in Aberystwyth with Borth,Ynyslas, Devil’s Bridge, Cwmsymlog and Blaenplwyf all being used as locations.

Gwawr Martha Lloyd, S4C’s drama commissioner who comes from Aberystwyth, said: “We really want this production to enable the viewer to get a feel for our wonderful area – the scenery and the people who make Ceredigion what it is.

“In this first period of filming from now until December 21, the storyline is focused on the Devil’s Bridge and Borth areas, where a grizzly discovery presents DCI Mathias with a puzzling murder investigation which brings some deeply buried secrets to the surface.”

Ed Thomas, executive producer and co-creator, said: “This production is an excellent opportunity to show off the locations and landscape which is familiar to everyone in Ceredigion but other people in Wales, Britain and the rest of the world won’t have seen them before.”

Hit drama Borgen has been sold in territories like South Korea and the US, becoming a cult hit on the BBC.

Earlier this year one of the show’s writers Jeppe Gjervig Gram was invited to Wales by writers from S4C who attempted to pick his brains on how to create a subtitled smash.

He told the Western Mail at the time he would “love” to create a Welsh version of the show which is among a wave of hit productions coming out of Danish state broadcaster DR, including murder thriller The Killing, which was most recently adapted for Stateside audiences by US network Fox.

Gram said: “Something like 12 years ago there was a big change in the way that DR wanted to do drama.

“They talked to some key people in Hollywood, people from NYPD Blue and came back very inspired and started doing things in a different way.”

The Danish broadcaster believes the landscape of Ceredigion will appeal to viewers familiar with the nocturnal scenes of Nordic gloom in Copenhagen-set series The Killing.

Dr Kaare Schmidt, DR series acquisitions executive, said: “Set against the mountainous backdrop of Aberystwyth, Hinterland has the suspenseful noir atmosphere of understated violence and moral ambiguity that defines the new Scandinavian wave of social crime dramas like The Killing.”

Mr Slaymaker said: “Aberystwyth itself is a great location, you have the rolling hills, the wooded farmland, the coast.

“It’s a jolly place in the summer, but the town can be quite dark and dreary in winter months, anybody who’s been on a night out there will testify to that.

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